Chair



Jan. 17, 1950 c, DEWEY 2,494,647

CHAIR Filed Sept. 14, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 17, 195% DEWEY2,494,647

CHAIR Filed Sept. 14; 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 17, 1950UNITED STATES PAT T GFFICE 3 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a chair, this term including variousrelated furniture pieces such as a stool, bench, settee and the like,each of which is equipped with legs for support of a seat and of a backof some kind. More particularly the present invention has to do withmeans for joining together the various components of the furniturearticle. By partly, but not completely, assembling the parts of thefurniture article at the factory, it is possible with advantage to makea knock-down shipment and then let the dealer or user complete theassembly. It is an object, therefore, of my invention to devise a formof connections whereby the several parts of the furniture article may befinally assembled with a minimum of efiort, and yet with assurance ofsecurity and dependability.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a sturdy metallicchair frame with which may be utilized a back and a seat in sheet form,made optionally of metal, plywood, composition material or the like.Such a material may be permanently shaped, with some degree ofcontinuing resilience, to a form which is conducive to maximum comfortto the chair occupant. The use of such sheet material has alwayspresented a problem both from the standpoint of appearance and of itsconnection with the supporting metallic frame of the chair. I overcomevery satisfactorily these difficulties by the special improvements of myinvention, all as will be hereinafter explained in detail.

The herein disclosed furniture article, of which a suggestive embodimentis set forth in the accompanying drawings, is illustrated in the mannerfollowing:

Figure 1 shows in front elevation a conventional form of chair;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the chair;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail, in vertical section, 1

taken on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section, taken on the offset line 4-4of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail in section, taken on line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a similar view taken on line 5-6 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. '7 is an enlarged detail in section taken on line 'I! of Fig. 1.

The present furniture article, a chair, for example, comprises twounits, right and left, and both alike so that a description of one willsuffice for the other. Each unit comprises front and rear legs L, and aconnecting rail R therebetween. The rail, as shown, is extended from thefront leg at a point near its top to join with the rear leg at about thesame elevation above which the latter is upwardly extended in the formof a support it for carrying, in conjunction with the other unit, a backll of any appropriate con-. struction. Likewise a seat or top l2 whichmay be supported over each connecting rail of the two units is desirablyextended therebetween in the final assembly of the furniture article.

The legs L may be of tubular metallic construction with appropriateconfiguration to meet esthetic requirements. As shown, each leg in theregion where the connecting rail R is joined thereto is of generallyrectangular cross-sectional form, adjacent faces being thereby provided.Desirably the corners between these faces are rounded as best shown inFig. 4. Each rail may be of channel section with its web l5 verticallydisposed to the outside whereby its inwardly extending upper and lowerflanges it and I1, respectively, are normally concealed from view. If

desired, the web may be formed with an embosture forming an outset panela (see Fig. 5).

For greater comfort and attractiveness each rail is formed with a veryslight ogee curve in a lengthwise direction.

In its end regions each rail web i5 is deeply inset to provide an angleseat consisting of two faces b and 0 adapted to abut the two adjacentfaces of one of the legs L (see Fig. 4). At the corner between the seatfaces b and 0 one or more openings (1 may be formed to facilitate themaking of brazed or weld connections 18 at these points. Other openingswhere brazed or welded connections is may be made are also optionallyprovided. By some such means as these each rail may rigidly andpermanently interconnect a pair of legs (one front and one rear). Eachrail end is closed by a wall 29 formed by a continuation of the web seatface 0, and through this wall is provided an opening for a bolt 2| (orother fastening element) having an adjusting nut 22 bearing against itsinner face whereby to be concealed from view.

Two pair of interconnected legs (one front and one rear) may bedetachably joined in unitary relation with the aid of angle bars B, onefront and one rear. The front bar (see Fig. 3) comprises a horizontaltop flange adapted to rest at its ends upon the top flanges 15 of thetwo rails R, the bar flange extending forwardly nearly to the front faceof the front legs L, then executing an easy bend of 180 at 26 andextending then reversely for a short distance at 2'? before continuingdown to provide a front apron 28. Near each end the apron is aperturedto receive the bolt 2i whereby the bar B is fixedly connected to thefront ends of the rails R and through them to the front legs L. Tofurther reinforce and rigidify these connections, I provide near eachend of the bar top flange an opening in register with similar opening inthe upper flange it of the rail R, a bolt 29 being extended through eachpair of registering openings with a coacting adjusting nut 30 adapted tobear against the under face of the rail flange 16 (see Fig. 3) wherebyto make this connection tight.

So much for the front bar B. The rear angle bar comprises a verticalapron (see Fig. 3) which is joined to a horizontal flange 36 extendingforwardly and then upwardly at 31' to provide a rearwardly extending,and optionally upwardly inclined, ledge 38 which includes a spaced topedge piece 39 forming therewith a forwardly facing channel. The rearangle bar is adapted to be fitted against the rear ends of the two railsR with which it is connected as by bolts 4!! equipped with adjustingnuts 4 I these bolts being extended through registering pairs ofopenings in the bar apron 35 and proximate end Walls 28 of the rails R.In addition, other bolts 32 with coasting adjusting nuts 43, may passthrough registering pairs of openings, near the ends of the bar flanges36 and top flanges l6 of the rails R, thereby adding to the connectionsbetween the rear bar B and the proximate ends of the two rails. Sincethe rear legs are joined to the rear ends of the rails, as alreadyexplained, the rear bar serves, in effect, to interconnect these twolegs.

The chair back H may be of sheet material such as metal, plywood, orcomposition material which is pressed and moulded. This makes itpossible to so shape the back as to greatly promote comfort to theoccupant of the chair. For the sake of appearance and strength, the sideand top edges of the chair back should preferably be rounded or curvedrearwardly (see Fig. 7). Such an edge formation also conceals theconnections which I provide between the back and the supports I!) whichare formed by upper extensions (of any desired cross-sectional form) ofthe rear legs L. As shown in Figs. 1 and '7, a plate 46 is welded orotherwise connected to each support It] near its top, each plateextending inwardly toward the other to lie in a kerf 41 formed in oneend of a brace 58 of wood or the like which extends horizontally betweenthe two supports. The edge 45 at the top of the back largely concealsthe presence of this brace which may be finished in conformity with theremainder of the chair. A socket bolt 49 having its head largelycountersunk in the back (see Fig. '7) is extended into the brace andplate therewithin for connection with a screw 50 which is entered intothe brace from its rear side. By this means the back at its top isjoined to opposite ends of the brace and the brace to the two supports.

At its bottom the back may be fitted into a channel bar (see Fig. 3)which is welded or otherwise joined to the top edge piece 39 of the rearangle bar B. Into the channel of which this top edge piece is a part isfitted the upwardly inclined rear edge of the seat or top 12 which isdesirably in the form of a sheet, made of metal, plywood, compositionmaterial or the like, and pressed or moulded to the requisite shape formaximum comfort to the chair occupant. This seat is desirably downturnedalong its side and front edges, being bent through an easy curve toprovide flanges 56. The front edge of the seat which lies forwardly ofthe front bar B is adequately supported by the forward extension of thetop flange 25 of this bar. To secure the seat in place, I utilize thesame bolts 29 which interconnect the top flange 25 of the front bar andthe upper flange 16 of the rails-these bolts extending through the seatas well to present their heads in a relatively countersunk relation withthe top face of the seat.

It will be observed that my present chair is provided with an all-metalframe. This is desirable from the standpoint of strength. Also the chairparts which affect the occupants comfort are optionally of metal orother material in sheet form, shaped as required for maximum ease. Inpractice, the two left legs with interconnecting rail are united at thefactory; likewise the two right legs with their interconnecting rail.These two units are then packed flatwise into a shipping carton,together with the two bars, the seat, the back, the brace, and theconnecting bolts, so as to occupy but a minimum of space. At thedestination pointwhether it be a dealer, or a user-these several unitsand parts are erected and joined together in a rigid unitary structureready for service of the hardest kind.

I claim:

1. A metal chair frame having two pair of angular front and rear legs, apair of channel rails located at opposite sides of the chair frame andhaving inwardly facing channels and each inset at each end to provide anangle seat with which two faces of a leg abut, means forming aninseparable connection between each rail angle seat and two faces of theabutting leg, a pair of transverse angle bars, one front and one rear,each extending across the chair frame and composed of a horizontalflange in engagement with the top flange of each channel rail and avertical 1 flange in engagement with the vertical web of each channelrail, and means extending through the engaging top flanges and othermeans extending through the engaging vertical flange and webs formingtwo sets of detachable connections between the side bars and thetransverse rails at points adjacent their ends whereby to interconnectall four legs into a rigid unitary frame structure.

2. A chair having a metal frame including an angle bar extending acrossthe frame at the rear thereof and having one of its flanges arrangedsubstantially horizontally and extended upwardly then rearwardly thenupwardly and then forwardly forming a forwardly facing channel, saidangle bar being provided with a channel member supported upon thechannel forming portion of said flange and having its channel facingupwardly, and a cross brace near the top of the chair frame, a back ofsheet material secured to the cross brace and having its lower edgesecured within the upwardly facing channel, and a seat of sheet materialsecured near its forward edge to the frame and having its rear edgesecured within the forwardly facing channel.

3. A chair frame of metal having two pair of tubular front and rearlegs, a pair of channel rails each inset at each end to provide an angleseat with which two faces of a leg may abut, means forming aninseparable connection between each rail angle seat and two faces of theabutting leg, and a pair of angle bars, one front and the other rear, indetachable connection near their ends with the rails whereby tointerconnect all four legs into a rigid unitary frame structure.

CLARMCE L. DEWEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

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